Festive Spirit
by Caz Malfoy
Summary: Dylan Fic: Jack, Ianto and the kids decorate for Christmas...


Title: Festive Spirit  
Fandom: Torchwood  
Pairing: Jack/Ianto  
Rating: FRT  
Summary: Jack, Ianto and the kids decorate for Christmas...  
Author's note: This is AU and the 28th installment in the series. This takes place between Trick and Treat and What Makes A Family.

x

Ianto and Jack had an agreement. Ianto would buy the Christmas tree and Jack would put it up in the corner of their large living room.

Standing in the centre of the room, looking at the crooked tree leaning against the wall, Jack was beginning to think he had gotten the short end of the straw.

He had tried for almost half an hour to get the tree to stay straight, but several thousand scratches from pine needles later Jack was forced to admit defeat.

"Ianto?" Jack called through to the dining room where he had banished his partner to a short while earlier, determined to finish his task alone.

"Finally admitted defeat?" Ianto asked, stopping in the door and leaning on the wooden frame.

The police officer glared at him for a moment before finally nodding his head with a sigh. "I can't get it straight," he whined, pointing accusingly at the tree.

"We wouldn't have this problem if we'd have got a fake one," Ianto retorted, stepping into the room and crouching down in front of the tree.

"Real ones are so much better," Jack argued, "they even smell nice."

Ianto was too busy inspecting the bottom of the tree to answer. "Lift it up," he instructed, reaching under the tree and not looking at Jack.

Jack did as he was instructed and after a few minutes of Ianto fiddling with the stand, they managed to get the tree standing upright.

"What did you do?" Jack demanded, his hands on his hips as he looked between the tree and Ianto.

Ianto held a piece of metal up. "There was an attachment stuck on the base," he replied, tossing the piece of metal on the couch. "Must be for skinnier trees."

The couple's eyes met and Jack chuckled softly. "Thanks," he whispered, leaning closer and capturing Ianto's lips in a soft kiss. "Since you're in here you might as well help me put the decorations on."

Ianto rolled his eyes and moved away from Jack, pulling a large box open. It was an old computer box that lived in the loft for 11 months of the year, only to come down at the beginning of December when the decorations went up, and the beginning of January when they came down.

"We can't do them all," he reminded his partner. "Dylan and Monster will go mad if they don't get to put some of them up."

Jack nodded his head, pulling five stockings – four for each of them and one for the dog - out from the box and setting them down to the side. Light up Nativity scenes came out of the box next, followed by an inflatable snowman. It was Jack's job to put the snowman on the overhang above the front door – Ianto was afraid of heights, although he would never admit that to anyone but Jack.

Finally they managed to find a smaller box containing a string of lights for the Christmas tree. "Why are these at the bottom?" Jack asked, lifting the lid and carefully pulling out the lights. "They were the last thing we took off last year."

Ianto shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me," he retorted, taking one end of the lights and helping Jack untangle them. "You packed everything away."

It took another half an hour for them to drape the lights around the tree; they had to change their positioning twice before they could both agree they looked ok.

Tinsel was the next thing to go on the tree. Jack reached for the bag of decorations he had bought while Ianto had been choosing the tree at the garden centre. He pulled out two large lengths of tinsel, showering the couch and carpet with shiny strands, much to Ianto's annoyance.

"Which one for the tree?" he asked, looking down at the tinsel in his hands. "Red and gold, or green?"

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Green on green, Jack?"

The police officer frowned before he rolled his eyes. "Good point," he replied, thrusting the green tinsel into Ianto's hands. "You do the mirror, I'll do the tree."

As Jack draped the red and gold decoration around the tree, Ianto moved over to the fire and began to wrap the green tinsel he was holding around the mirror above the mantelpiece.

Decorative Christmas candles were placed on the chair closest to the living room door. They were for the dining room table, but never got lit; Ianto had bought them four years before and they were Jack's favourite centrepieces.

By the time Dylan and Ellie returned home from school and nursery respectively, the tree was half decorated and the room was lit up with Christmas lights bright enough to guide in landing aircraft.

"You decorated already?" Dylan asked, pouting when he saw the Christmas tree and decorations.

Ianto shook his head, pointing to a box of presents at the base of the tree. "The bottom of the tree is all yours, Squirt," he assured him. He and Jack had decided it was best to leave the bottom of the tree plain so the children could place their own ornaments.

The top of the tree was also bare. "Which one of you wants to put the star on the top?" Jack asked.

"Me!" both children cried instantly, before glaring at each other. "No! I want to!"

Sensing a full-blown fight, Ianto stepped between the almost nine and three year old. "Why don't you both put it on?" he suggested.

Ellie frowned in confusion. "How?" she asked, putting her tiny hands on her hips in an almost perfect impersonation of Jack.

Ianto waved Jack across the room, and told him to pick Dylan up, while he scooped Ellie into his arms. He grabbed the star and handed it to Ellie.

"But that's not fair!" Dylan cried, seeing that his sister was holding the star.

Jack shook Dylan lightly. "Stop that!" he instructed firmly, the tone of his voice leaving no room for argument.

"Monster, you hold one side of the star. Squirt, you hold the other side."

Dylan did as he was instructed and together both he and Ellie managed to place the star on the top of the tree; only managing to knock one of the baubles off in the process.

"See?" Jack said, placing Dylan down and moving to sit on the couch – he was exhausted. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?"

Neither Dylan nor Ellie were listening to their father as they continued putting the rest of the decorations on the tree.

With a smile, Ianto collapsed as well, half on the couch, half on Jack. "I'm knackered," he stated, resting his head on his partner's shoulder.

Jack chuckled and pressed a kiss to Ianto's shoulder. "Me too," he murmured, his eyes flicking back over to the children.

After a moment of silence Jack called, "Ianto? Next year, you can put the tree up."

The End


End file.
